


Chasing the Dragon

by LunnarEclipse



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other, Pre-Series, gender neutral reader, i think y'all know where this is going, nina's mom is still around, so turn up, the reader is an alchemist, they're in an apprenticeship with shou, this is also really frickin long so have fun, this takes place 2 years before the events of the show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10061765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunnarEclipse/pseuds/LunnarEclipse
Summary: You've been in an apprenticeship with the renowned bio-alchemist Shou Tucker for several months now, the both of you hard at work trying to crack the secrets of human-chimera transmutation. After having dedicated so much time to this strenuous field of study, the both of you are thrilled when a breakthrough is made that allows you to become a certified state alchemist. Watch and certificate in hand, you head back to your hometown of Dublith to celebrate, where you've planned to meet an old friend at your favorite locale: The Devil's Nest.





	1. Victims of Contingency

“Wake up sleepy head! Let’s go play!”

You did not even need to open your eyes to know who had just disturbed your slumber.

“Nina…” a low grumble rumbled through your chest, a delighted round of laughter tumbling from the little girl as you acknowledged her. You felt a tug on the sleeve of your lab-coat, and sighed, hands going to try and rub the exhaustion off of your face.

When you finally glanced down at her, the smile she sported seemed to double in size (if that was even possible, you pondered) and she instantly latched onto your arm. 

“Yay! You’re awake!” she exclaimed, and practically dragged you out of your chair in her excitement for this new play session.

You gave the girl a few pats on the head before you gently pushed her back onto the floor. “Nina, why don’t you go play with Apollo for a little bit? I need some breakfast before I can play.”

The tiny brunette pouted, her arms folded across her chest as she stomped angrily on the hard wood of the bedroom floor. “But I wanna play now!”

“Nina?”

You picked up the sound of a door being pushed open, and a sigh of relief left you when you noticed that Nina’s mother, Anna, had come looking for her daughter.

Her long, brown hair was thrown over her shoulder in a sloppy braid, wisps of hair framing her kind face. Crinkles formed around her dark eyes as a grin emerged on her thin lips, and the older woman kneeled down slightly to place her hands on Nina’s shoulders.

“How many times must I tell you that it’s very rude to enter someone else’s room without knocking first, Nina?” she scolded.

The young girl looked away from her mother’s stare, her own expression bashful as she looked to the floor, the pattern of the wooden boards appearing very interesting at the moment. “I’m sorry mama,” she muttered, her hands folded behind her back. “I just wanted to play.”

Anna tucked her own hands under Nina’s armpits and easily picked her up, carrying her as if she were still a baby. “Why don’t you come and help me make breakfast? I’m sure that (Y/N) would be very happy to find a nice stack of warm, fluffy pancakes when they came out to eat with us. Whaddya say?”

Nina instantly brightened at this suggestion, and she pointed in the direction of the kitchen almost immediately. “Yeah! Pancakes, pancakes!” she sang out, and gave you a parting wave as she and her mother made their way to the kitchen.

“I’m terribly sorry that she intruded upon you like that.”

You instantly straightened your slumped posture, and your hands fumbled to tidy up the wrinkled lab coat that, more than likely, had ink stains all over the cuffs. “M-mister Tucker!” your voice came out more startled than you would have liked it to, to which the older man simply chuckled at.

“Please, (Y/N), I’ve told you time and time again to call me Shou. We are in my home, there’s no need to be so formal.”

You relaxed, albeit slightly, and silently berated yourself for not remembering this order you had been previously given. “Sorry, sir,”

An irritated sigh left Shou when he heard the use of yet another formality, but he decided that it would be best to simply let it slide...this time. “You must forgive Nina for being so ill behaved. It seems as though my wife is allowing her to get away with certain truant behaviors that would not go unchecked if I were given more time to supervise her.”

You nodded your head in disagreement and waved off his concerns. “It’s not a problem at all, sir. She _is_ only two, there’s only so much I can expect out of someone her age, and being full of energy is certainly something I anticipated.”

“I commend you on your patience. I’m sure that a lot of people would have taken that transgression much more seriously.”

“I’m sure that they would have understood,” you replied, and slowly began to compile the messy stack of papers that were sprawled across your desk.

This seemed to have shifted Shou’s focus, and he strided over to your workspace. He pushed his round glasses further up the bridge of his nose, as he attempted to sneak a peek at any notes that you had jotted down throughout the night.

“You don’t need to hover over my shoulder, sir. If you’re curious about anything I might have come up with, you’re free to read my research,” you stated, and earned a round of quiet laughter from the man.

“I see that you were reading over the case files that I had given you,” he observed, and picked up a bundle of papers you had finished organizing.

“Yeah,” you muttered, and frowned. “I cannot lie and say that I was _not_ in a state of shock when you first handed these to me. I mean, real life chimeras, and ones that could have easily blended into human society?”

A delighted grin split Shou’s face at the mention of such _perfect_ specimens. “Yes, indeed. As someone who has been studying these creatures for almost the entirety of their career, it gave me hope that I would be able to replicate these experiments and add to our findings.”

“It would be remarkable if we could make advancements in this field of study. It was a real shame that the previous test subjects managed to escape,” you griped, irritated that such vital and precious information had managed to slip through the military’s incompetent fingers.

“Indeed. That is why I am grateful that we are able to work on our own pace with this. I’m more than certain that the two of us will be able to crack the secret to human-chimera transmutation.” Shou appeared elated at the idea, and his giddiness seemed to transfer to you as well, and the both of you had wicked grins on your faces.

“Oh! I almost forgot,” you suddenly chirped, and clipped the top of your most recent set of analyses before you handed it to Shou. “I believe that I, if I may say so, had a stroke of genius last night, sir!”

Shou practically snatched it out of your hands, going silent as he flipped through it, and gave careful attention to the diligent annotations that you made on the cases. “Hmm...this is very interesting. So you believe that the five that had been experimented on were only successful because just a portion of the animal was used during the procedure?”

“Yes,” you replied. “I personally came to the conclusion that it may be impossible to transmute a human being with the complete vessel of the animal, for their bodies would be incompatible and they would live in constant pain due to their different extremities.”

“Some people go through their whole lives dealing with chronic pain. Are you saying that their existence is worth less than that of someone who develops without a care in the world?”

Shou’s question surprised you, and your hand stilled over your mouth in silent shock. “T-that’s not what I meant, sir,” you stuttered, as you tried to make up for your obvious fumble. “I have only concluded that it would be inhumane to merge two completely sentient souls together, as it would most likely result in their death.”

“Of course, I meant no harm by what I said,” Shou gave you an uneasy smile, a hand placed on your shoulder as a sort of reassurance. “Your hypothesis is interesting, and it saddens me that we are unable to test it.”

You huffed and got up out of your seat, shedding your lab coat and tossing it onto your bed. “I doubt that the government would be willing to offer anyone up, even if they were the scum of the earth.”

“Yes, ever since they shut down laboratory five, it’s become impossible to receive any subjects.” Shou glanced over at the clock that ticked away on the wall, and tapped a finger against your desk. “I see it’s almost time for you to head out. Make sure that you aren’t late for your briefings. I’m sure that the generals will be very pleased with these new discoveries of yours.”

You gave him a small bow, the golden buttons of your military uniform clicking against one another. “Thank you. I sincerely hope that this is what will finally allow us to become state alchemists once and for all.”

Shou offered you an encouraging grin. “I hope so as well. Now you best be heading out. Prove that even we _scientists_ have a place amongst the elite ranking of the military.”

* * *

The meeting with the generals when about as well as you expected: they had listened to the bare minimum of your proposal, but when you could provide no definitive proof of your claims, they swatted you away and ignored all of the data that you had compiled, scratching it off as “too complicated to follow.”

You leg bounced anxiously as you sat in one of the many hallways in Central Command, arms folded across your chest and gaze up at the ceiling. It was infuriating to be turned down on such weak grounds. This would not have bothered you if this had been your first trip here, but both you and Shou had been trying to earn your state alchemist license for _months_ now, and you were beginning to feel disheartened, like all of your work was going to amount to nothing.

“Hey there! Long time now see!”

You jumped when you glanced down and found someone standing uncomfortably close to you, however you eyes narrowed slightly when you realized who it was.

“Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, so...nice to see you again.”

“Oh come on, (Y/N), what did I do to deserve that tone of voice?”

You could feel the couch sink a bit as he took a seat beside you, hints of concern laced on his face when he picked up how upset you were.

 _Must be his parental instincts kicking in_ , you thought bitterly, annoyed that he was able to read you so easily.

“I’m _really_ not in the mood to talk right now.” you mumbled, and hunched forward so you could prop your elbows on your knees, your cheeks squished when you decided to rest your face in your hands.

“Did the higher ups chew you out again?” he questioned, but you decided to be stubborn and keep your mouth shut, staying true to what you had said earlier: you did not wish to talk to anyone.

You heard him sigh, and a warm hand was placed on your shoulder. “You really need to stop all of this from getting to you. I know it’s frustrating to not be taken seriously, but you just need to keep pushing. You can’t give up just because some jerk didn’t see the value in your research.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” you quipped, and rolled your eyes when you noticed the smirk on Hughes’s face. He had gotten you to break your supposed “no talking” policy, and quite easily, you might add.

“Come on, (Y/N). You just need to head back to Tucker’s house, and get back to work. Every time I see you back here, you seem much more confident, as though each time you’re turned down, it only strengthens your resolve to become an alchemist. That doesn’t go unnoticed.”

You understood what Hughes was trying to get across, and even though his kind words did help you calm down a bit, it was still hard to fight this feeling of rejection, a sensation that you had practically conditioned yourself to experience whenever you were in Central.

“It’s just...really discouraging to get assigned this task, and toil over all of this information on such a complicated subject, and be dismissed over and over again, even when you’ve made some discoveries on _precisely_ what the military wants to know.” you confessed, while you shoved your documents into your bag.

“Just know that you’re not the only one, okay (Y/N)? Everyone that you’ve met here stationed in central, regardless if they’re an alchemist or not, went through a lot to be where they are today. It’s not an easy road to get to where you wanna be in life, and sometimes you don’t even get there. But the one thing you can’t do is give up.” Hughes pointed down a nearby hallway, and you followed his indicated target to find that it was directed to the office of Colonel Roy Mustang.

“Despite being a colonel right now, Roy’s aiming to become the new Führer of Amestris.”

Your eyes widened in amazement, for you could not believe that someone was trying to have one up on King Bradley himself. “Are you serious?” you gaped.

“Of course I am!” Hughes exclaimed. “Even if it seems like a hopeless endeavor, what with how sappy he is, I still can’t allow him to lose faith in that slim possibility. Which is the same sentiments that I’m carrying over to you.”

A smile finally broke through your gloomy expression, and you flinched as Hughes slapped you hard against your back when he noticed the mood change.

“There’s a happy face!” he said, before he grew a bit more serious, while still retaining his jubilant personality. “Just know that even if nobody else has said anything, that I still believe in you.”

You could feel your cheeks grow hot at Hughes’s encouraging words, and turned away from him to hide your embarrassment. It meant a lot to know that _someone_ was supporting your endeavor, for it often seemed as though you had taken up this undertaking all on your own. Shou was definitely a presence within your work, but he was often enveloped within his own tasks, and the two of you hardly interacted in order to increase productivity and make sure there were minimal distractions.

It was often overwhelming, dealing with the stressors of such a demanding job, and receiving little to no reassurance for your accomplishments, no matter how small they may be. You were practically all alone, since you had moved away from your home in Dublith in order to be in an apprenticeship with Shou, one of the leading pioneers in the field of bio-alchemy. Sure, you called your parents from time-to-time to see how everyone was doing, but besides menial chit chat on your studies, and the occasional play-date with Nina, you were often consumed by your work, giving you little to no time to socialize and form more lasting bonds with anyone that you happened interact with.

It just made you feel...special, was that the correct word? No, it was more as though all of your struggles had been validated when Hughes disclosed his faith in everything that you had been striving so hard for.

You finally gathered the courage to face him again, a shaky sigh leaving your tired body as you managed to give him a shy grin. “Thank you, sir. I really appreciate what you just said. These past few months haven’t been easy.”

“That’s certainly the understatement of the century,” he joked. “I’m glad that you aren’t throwing in the towel, (Y/N). It takes a lot of guts to keep going. Be proud of the fact that you aren’t conceding to defeat.”

Your chest swelled with this sudden sense of pride, and you gave him a well deserved salute to express your gratitude. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

Hughes burst into a round of laughter, an arm wrapping around you as he brought you into a bone-crushing hug. “Finally, someone who’s earnestly taking my advice to heart!”

“Excuse me, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes,”

You peered up at the woman who had called for Hughes’s attention, and you recognized her as one of the many secretaries housed in the building. She was a tiny thing with big, bulging blue eyes and short, black hair.

“Oh, hello there! What can I do for ya?” Hughes did not seem to mind that your pep talk had been interrupted, nor did he seem to mind the appearance of this surprise visitor, as the embrace he had you in remained quite strong.

You fidgeted slightly in his grip, wanting to appear at least a little dignified in front of the woman, but it was no use.

“Actually, I was told that they would be with you, so I went looking for you, sir.” she said, and handed you a piece of paper. “There’s a call waiting for you on line three.” she directed, and was gone almost as quickly as she came.

You glanced down at the note, written in cursive, that a Miss Nina Tucker was requesting an audience with you.

“Nina, hmm? She sounds cute. Is someone crushing on you, (Y/N)?” Hughes cooed.

You grimaced at the implication and shoved the nosey man off of you. “No,” you seethed, as you grabbed hold of your bag. “She’s the daughter of the alchemist I’ve been staying with.”

“Oh, scandalous!”

You glared at him, all but threatening to hurl you satchel, heavy with your research papers, at his cocky face. “She’s only two years old, Romeo, don’t get any sick ideas.”

Hughes practically pounced on you when you said this, his wallet being whipped out at inhuman speeds while simultaneously unfolding itself to reveal the dozens of pictures that he kept of his wife and young daughter. “My little Elicia is only one! Wouldn’t it be so perfect for the two of them to get together and have an adorable little play-date? Huh, whaddya say?”

“I suppose I could talk to Anna about it. Nina does get rather lonely,” you mumbled, more-so to yourself than to Hughes.

He gave a delighted cry in response, and ogled at the most recent photo of Elicia, one where she and his wife, Gracia, were blowing at the seeds that bloomed from dandelions later in the summer months. “That would be wonderful! You better get back to me as soon as a date is set. Now, hurry along to Miss Nina, you wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”

You gave Hughes one last goodbye before you walked over to a nearby telephone. You winced slightly as the cheap strap on your messenger bag dug into your shoulder muscle from pushing it all to one side, and then reached for the telephone. You pressed the three on the keypad and was instantly greeted by a huge ruckus on the other end of the line.

“Hello? Nina?” you called out, unsure if someone was still even there.

A few moments of silence passed before you managed to pick up the sounds of a scuffle, and then soft puffs echoed into your ear. You pushed the phone closer, pressed to make out any of the noises occurring in the background.

“Nina?” you repeated, much louder this time.

“Mommy and daddy are fighting again.”

You seemed to freeze on the spot as you registered those words.

_Her parents...Anna and Shou...were fighting? And did she say again? So this is not the first time that she has overheard them bicker amongst one another?_

You could not believe it. You had been living there for months, and had yet to witness any sort of violent altercation between the two of them. Surely you would have noticed the physical evidence of abuse taking place, you saw Anna and Shou every day, it would have been nearly impossible to keep such things hidden for as long as you had been there.

Although, you did leave the house quite often whenever you had to make trips to Central, so perhaps it took place behind closed doors, when no one else was around to interfere. Still, the idea itself was preposterous in nature. Why hadn’t Nina come to you for help? She clearly understood that something was wrong, why keep it quiet? Was she afraid that _she_ might become their scapegoat if they found out that she talked to someone?

No, this had to be a simple misunderstanding. Perhaps they were just being passive-aggressive to one another, and Nina mistook it as them fighting? She was still only a child, afterall. She might be blowing the whole situation out of proportion.

You shook your head vigorously in disagreement, upset that you would even think of blaming Nina during an incident such as this. You had to get a better grip on the situation.

“Nina, what do you mean that they’re fighting?” you questioned, and made sure to keep your tone soft and gentle, you did not wish to startle her.

“Yelling… so much yelling… and mommy threw stuff.” her voice faltered slightly, and you hear her gasp, probably terrified of what she has just witnessed.

“Where are you right now?” you were concerned for her safety, and sincerely hoped that her parents would not punish her for seeking help. Who knows what sort of discipline a man as powerful as Shou had in store for her if he caught her.

“Mommy and daddy’s room. Yelling… the yelling is downstairs.” she sniffles. “Apollo is with me.”

A small sense of relief fills you when she mentions that the family dog, Apollo, is with her. You doubted that even a full grown man would take on a great dane, and one that was extremely loyal to Nina. That dog would fight off even the renowned Brigg’s soldiers if they dared to take arms against his master.

“That’s good. Apollo will protect you. Do you want me to come and pick you up?”

“Yes, yes! Please, please pick me up!”

“Alright, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” you reply, and start to wonder if Hughes would be willing to take your offer up on that play date a lot sooner than you anticipated. Nina was certainly going to need something fun to help her cheer up.

“Mommy’s coming.”

 _That’s good_ , you think to yourself. _Maybe she’s going to find Nina and apologize for what she saw--_

“What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing?”

You felt your heart stop.

“Who are you talking to? What did you say? What did you tell them you little _brat_?”

No… this couldn’t be Anna…

“Nothing. Mommy, nothing!”

You heard Nina’s pleas fall on deaf ears, and almost dropped the telephone when a loud _smack_ echoed through the receiver.

“Filthy liar.”

Silence, a thick silence rang through your head, and you were too frightened to hang up the phone.

“Who is this?”

Anna’s voice was harsh, cold, and it cut right through you.

Your mouth was sealed shut, you could not even breathe, and the few seconds that passed in between crackled with tension.

Then the call cut out, and the dull drone of the operating number buzzed through your ears.

Your feet were rooted to the spot, your mind in a daze, unable to process what just happened. _Did_ that really just happen?

Nina. Nina was your priority right now, you needed to make sure that she was okay.

You glimpsed down the hallway and gave a silent hallelujah when you saw that Hughes was still there, the man showing off his impressive amount of family photographs to some poor, unsuspecting sap that had happened to walk by.

“Hughes!” you called out.

He gave you a sideways glance, and ushered down to meet you halfway. “(Y/N), have you _seen_ this picture of my beautiful wife and my beautiful daughter? It happens to be one of my favorites, but oh, who am I kidding, I love _all_ of these pictures!”

You knew that you had to get to the point fast otherwise you’d be stuck here for hours, and you could definitely not waste any time with small talk.

“Sir, I was wondering if we could schedule that playdate relatively soon… as in, today. Would that be alright? We could go and pick Nina up right now--”

“Say no more.”

You nearly leapt out of your skin as Hughes all but dragged you down the halls, and out of the doors to Central Command. The next thing you knew, you were in his car and being driven down the streets of Amestris.

“Where to?” he gave you a grin whose brightness could rival that of the sun, and you quickly instructed him on how to arrive at the Tucker’s house.

When you arrived, you threw open the passenger door and sprinted towards the entrance of the home. Your heart beat started to pick up again as you frapped erratically to signal your arrival, anxious as to what may greet you on the other side.

Would they even open the door? Would they take one look at you, and immediately slam it in your face? You truly did not wish for Lieutenant Colonel Hughes to get involved, but if they refused to let you inside, you would have no choice but to use force. Nina was what was important here, not your reputation amongst the scientific community.

To your surprise, the door went ajar slightly after you had knocked, round glasses reflecting off the bright light of the midday sun. There was an elated gasp and you mentor, Shou Tucker, poked his head out to give you a crooked smile.

“Ah, (Y/N), so nice to see you again. I take it that you’re back from the meeting in Central?”

You took notice of his disheveled appearance, his shirt torn, and tiny bits of glass dusting his thin hair from what you could hypothesize as one of the items that Anna had hurled during the heat of the argument.  A large welt was also beginning to form on his right leg, dried blood crusting over the tear that had been made to his pants.

You tried swallowing a large lump in your throat, nervous as to how you should proceed. If you told him that you gotten a phone call while in the office, they would know that Nina had been talking to you amongst the pandemonium, and she would be severely chastised. You supposed that bringing up the possibility of allowing her to leave their… _care_ for several hours might help relieve some of the strain, so you went along with that excuse.

“Yes, and while I was there I ran into an acquaintance of mine, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes.” you could tell that Shou was disinterested, and you fumbled over your words as you made haste to take Nina away from them. “A-and well, he has a daughter of his own, you see, and I was wondering if Nina would be okay with meeting little Elicia, and if she wanted to play with her.”

Shou pondered the idea for a moment, the hand that he had placed on the door trembling a little, before he nodded his head. “Yes, that sounds like a rather good suggestion. Anna and I have actually been needing some time to ourselves, so you showing up is kind of a blessing.”

The pitter-patter of tiny feet scrambling to reach the outside caused you to unexpectedly peer over Shou’s shoulder, and he flinched under your intense stare as he took several steps back into the shadows.

Nina shoved past her father’s legs, almost tripping on the stairs in her haste to make her escape. You opened your arms up for her and she promptly leapt into your embrace, while her tiny body trembled slightly as she buried her face in the crook of your neck.

You turned to make your way back to Hughes’s waiting vehicle before Shou called out to you.

“I… um… I will call you when it’s time to bring her home.”

Your common sense was all but _begging_ you to scream back at him that Nina wasn’t going to be coming back, but you could not take their daughter away from them. You needed more evidence if you wanted to press charges, and even then, the military police would not take action for they had not seen in take place themselves; they did not want to burden themselves with more work than necessary.

A solemn nod was your response, not even bothering to turn around and face the man who had assisted in frightening his own child so terribly. You placed Nina in your lap as you took your spot in the passenger’s seat, and felt a great sense of reprieve when Hughes began the drive to his apartment.

You did not wish for Nina to deal with anymore unwanted stress, so you tried to pull her out of the rut she was in at the moment. If Hughes could pick up when _you_ were feeling upset, then just imagine how simple it must have been for him to assess that Nina had been victimized within her own home. If he had questions about what happened, then he could direct them to you at a later time. Right now, you just wanted to get Nina smiling again.

“Hey Nina, do you know who this is?” you cooed.

She glanced up at Hughes, a blank expression on her face as he smiled at her. She turned back to you, and nodded her head.

“His name is Mr. Hughes, and we’re going to his house. Mr. Hughes has a daughter of his own. Her name is Elicia, and I’m sure she’s very excited to play with you!”

Nina brightened at the mention of Elicia, and the future prospect of having some fun with another kid around her age. “A… a girl?” she murmured.

“Yup! That’s my Elicia for ya! She is going to be so happy to know that she’ll have a playmate, and an adorable one at that!” Hughes was beyond elated, and it was pretty difficult to _not_ catch even a little bit of his optimism.

“I’m going on a playdate?” Nina questioned, and her voice sounded much happier.

“Yeah you are. Oh this is going to be so much fun!”

A grin finally broke through Nina’s gloominess, the brunette beginning to bounce excitedly in her seat. “Yay! I’m gonna play! I’m gonna have fun!”

The ride to Hughes’s residence was certainly much more pleasant, and you suspected that Nina and Hughes must have exchanged thoughts whilst on the way there because as soon as the both of them hopped out of the car, they started to race up the stairs. By the time you had managed to catch up with them, Nina and Elicia were already together, the younger of the two handing Nina some building blocks so that they could work in tandem to create something.

It did not come as much of a surprise to you that the two girls hit it off almost instantly, or that the hospitality that was provided by Hughes and his wife Gracia would be exemplary. Gracia not only provided coffee, but she also baked a delicious apple pie, one that you believed could rival even the finest patisseries in Amestris.

Your time with the Hughes family passed by amicably, it was a genuine safe haven, and one that you were repeatedly invited to visit again and again. While the girls enjoyed their time playing, you happened to have a very stimulating conversation about your most recent findings with Gracia and Hughes. It was actually quite surprising how much Hughes knew about bio-alchemy, but he only attributed this knowledge from when he was helping his friend, Roy Mustang study, when he took up the feat of becoming a state alchemist.

In spite of the peaceful time that you were having, you knew that it could be interrupted at any time by that call from Shou telling you to bring Nina back. You were dreading that moment, and you were earnestly trying to keep yourself from blatantly staring at the telephone. Maybe if you didn’t think about it, that it wouldn’t happen?

_Briiiiiiing. Briiiiiiing._

Eugh. Of course.

“Oh? Who would be calling at this hour?” Gracia wondered, and pushed herself out of her seat so she could answer the phone.

Maybe it wasn’t Shou, maybe it was someone from Central, or maybe it was one of Gracia’s family members. You didn’t need to jump the gun on this.

“(Y/N), it’s for you. A Mr. Shou Tucker needs to speak to you. He says it’s urgent.”

Perhaps you could convince Shou to let Nina stay the night. You could say that it would give him and Anna more time to reconcile between one another, and that you would make sure to keep an eye on Nina. You could lie to a superior if it was for the greater good, right?

“Hello?”

“Oh, (Y/N), I’m so glad that you answered. You must come quickly,” Shou sounded slightly out of breath, but there was a gleeful undertone that you could not ignore.

“Are… are you alright, sir?” you prodded, and supposed that if you changed the subject that he would forget all about asking you to bring Nina back.

There was a round of giddy laughter on the other end of the line, and it sent a vicious chill down your spine. “I’m more than alright. (Y/N)... I’ve finally done it! I’ve finally completed a successful human-chimera transmutation.”


	2. Marry the Night

The air was heavy, and it was difficult to breathe, as though the atmosphere was trying to smother you. A charred scent filled your nostrils, it was pungent, but you could pick up traces of different chemicals as well. Was that chloride… hydrogen…?

A thick wall of steam, (or was it smoke?) permeated throughout the room, and it coiled around every piece of furnishing and seeped into every crack in the foundation. You coughed, and a slight burn stung the back of your throat as you inhaled, ashes greedily sticking to your windpipe. Your eyes began to water, and your hands went up to wipe away the tears that trickled down your cheeks.

You stumbled around in search of a window, becoming disoriented in the smogs suffocating embrace. Your fingers clawed at the latch once you found it, and the wind gave a mighty howl as it burst into the area, a clear path finally being forged in the darkness.

Piercing yellow sclera were the first things you managed to make out, their owner peering up at you with an eerie gaze. You noticed ears perk up at the sound of your ragged breathing, and you backed further into the corner as one of its long, spindly legs dragged across the concrete floor in an attempt to reach you.

Curled, unnaturally lengthy claws dug into the cement, leaving deep impressions as it heaved its heavy body into an upright position. A curved tail swung from side to side, and you could surmise that it was at least canine in origin. But you had never seen a dog this large before, let alone one that was so bizarrely proportioned.

A ragged bark erupted from its enormous mouth, saliva dribbling from the points of its canines. The way that it strolled over to you seemed almost pained, as though it took a great deal of effort to even take a few steps.

As it drew closer, you note that it is not only coated in sleek, black fur, but that it also has a mop of thick, brown hair on the top of its head. It was very strange, almost as if it were sporting some sort of cheap wig.

It gave you that look again, the one that caused your stomach to turn and the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. It appeared as if it were pleading with you, begging for you to do something… but what?

“Ah, thank you _so much_ for opening that window. It was beginning to get a bit stuffy in here.”

The creature immediately slinked away from you when it recognized that voice, its tail going between its legs, and it shuffled near a stack of discarded books in an attempt to hide itself.

“Mr. Tucker, when did you get here?” you were in a bit of a daze, uncertain as to what was going on. “Is… is this the transmutation you told me about?”

A sadistic grin erupted onto his face, and he clapped his hands together, chalk dust exploding from his palms and coating his glasses. “Yes, yes it is. I was so overjoyed that I called Central Command as soon as I became assured that _she_ would live.”

“And we’re glad that you did, Mr. Tucker.”

Rays of sunlight suddenly filtered in through the window as the clouds parted, which allowed the beams of light to brighten up the gloomy office space. Your startled gasp was the only response that your astonished brain could send in return for who you had just laid eyes on, and you urgently straightened yourself up so that you could give the proper salute.

“Your excellency, King Bradley, sir.”

He gave you a warm smile, a hearty chuckle shaking his large frame. “At ease, soldier. There’s no need for all of this unnecessary military etiquette. I am just here to see the groundbreaking work that you and the good doctor here have worked so hard on.”

You gave him a nod, your body still a bit rigid from your nerves. But how could you _not_ be all jittery? King Bradley _himself_ came down to assess the progress that you and Shou had made. You were honored.

Shou was the first to enter, and he strode over to the creature, taking a firm hold of the collar around its neck and forced it to sit in the center of the room. “Please forgive her,” he said, and tugged harshly on the lead so that it would quit fidgeting. “She’s a little shy.”

Bradley’s visible eye narrowed at the specimen, a high pitched whine of fear emanating from her as he scrutinized every little aspect. “Are you sure that your transmutation between human and animal was successful?” he queried, and sounded skeptical that this was indeed the real deal.

“Of course,” Shou released his grip so that he could face his creation. He bopped her on the snout, and in a firm voice commanded, “Speak.”

You raised an eyebrow, confused as to what Shou was trying to accomplish here. You had heard… _her_ bark earlier, what more could he be looking for? She appeared more dog than human, after all.

She glared up at Shou, her mouth slowly opening so that she could answer her master’s order. “K… King… Bra… dley…”

Stunned silence echoed between the both of you, your jaw going slack, and eyes wide in astonishment to what had just transpired. “It… it talked!” you shouted, filled with excitement. You could not believe it! Shou had finally done it!

“My, my. Now _that_ was quite the surprise.” Bradley appeared more than pleased, and he gave Shou a congratulatory pat on the back. “Well done. Thanks to the research of both you and your partner, we’ll be able to make great advancements in the field of bio-alchemy. I believe I have seen enough to assure that the two of you become certified state alchemists.”

You felt your heart swell with happiness, overjoyed that all those months of hard work had finally paid off. You bowed your head to express your gratitude. “Thank you so much, sir. I am eternally grateful.”

“Nonsense, you earned it,” he replied, a grin back on his face. “If you would allow me to escort the two of you to Central Command, we can get all of the necessary paperwork in order so that you may receive your pocket watches.”

“What a marvelous idea!” Shou declared, before he reached for a long chain and hooked it into the collar around the chimera’s neck. He gave it a few good jerks and when he was satisfied that it would hold, he let it coil around the creature’s feet. “She is secure, sir.”

“Excellent, we wouldn’t want her escaping like the _last batch_ of human-chimera’s that we had.”

“Oh trust me, (Y/N) and I are _much_ more competent than those fools that ran the previous experiment. We won’t let something so valuable slip under our noses.” Shou assured him, and nudged his head in your direction as a signal for you to follow the both of them outside.

You flushed, embarrassed that you had kept them waiting, and quickly recomposed yourself. You sneaked past the chimera and were about to shut the door, when an eerie sound rumbled in the creature’s throat.

Your hand froze over the knob, a cold sheen of sweat forming on your brow. Did it just call out your name? No, that was impossible, that couldn’t be what you heard. You doubted that Shou would go out of his way to teach it your name. But this foreboding feeling in the back of your mind challenged you, and it was practically impossible to shake off. Was it perhaps plausible…?

“(Y/N).”

Shou’s firm voice snapped you out of your reverie, and you apologized for dozing off like that. “How irresponsible of me,” you mumbled and pushed against the door to close it; the chimera’s stare penetrating your mind, silently begging at you, silently pleading at you.

“He… lp… me…”

* * *

Your fingers delicately traced the pattern of the Amestrian Dragon, the symbol of the military’s state alchemist program. It was still hard for you to believe that you had been finally granted the title that you struggled for months to achieve, but, here you were. That dream had finally become a reality.

The examination process had not been difficult for you at all, and you passed all of the required tests with flying colors. When you finally went to meet up with King Bradley, he was very pleased with your results, and personally handed you your certificate of achievement along with your silver pocket watch.

Your heart fluttered a bit as you read over the letter once more, a crooked smile on your face as you repeatedly stopped to glance at your chosen nickname: the quantum alchemist. You found it be be quite suiting, since your research was on the development of various techniques on how to change the quantum makeup of somethings biological composition.

Excitement filled your entire being, and you could not wait to get home and surprise your parents with this announcement. You had already called ahead to let them know that you were on your way, but you had explicitly left out the detail on becoming an alchemist. You wanted to see their reactions first hand.

The train lurched forward as it entered the the station, slowly coming to a halt as the captain announced that they had successfully arrived in Dublith. You pocketed your watch and certificate, quickly gathering your things so you could begin searching for your family.

The platform was a sea of people boarding and disembarking, children crying about being hungry or wanting to go home, and adults screaming at one another to get out of the way. It was a bit overwhelming, and you stood on the tips of your toes to try and spot your parents amongst the chaos.

You caught the flash of sign with your surname printed on the front, and you politely shoved your way through, your mother being the first to spot you and she ran over to embrace you in a tight hug.

The trip home was filled with laughter and excited chatter as you discussed the months that you had spent in Central under Shou’s apprenticeship, which eventually lead to your father popping open a bottle of champagne when you decided to spill the beans on becoming an alchemist.

“This is so wonderful!” your mother shouted, and pecked you on the cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah kiddo, this is great.” your father added, a kind smile on his visage. “I really can’t believe that you managed to do it.”

You gave them both chaste kisses to their foreheads, appreciative of their considerate words. “Thank you, both of you. I don’t know if I would have made it this far without your support.”

“Oh come on, you’ve always been really smart. There was no doubt in my mind that you wouldn’t become a state alchemist.” your father said, and poured more alcohol into your glass. “Now, whaddya say that we celebrate a little, huh?”

You laughed, always amazed at your father’s fervent appetite for the party life, but you had to decline. “I was actually going to meet some friends at a bar, if that’s alright.”

Your mother shooed off any of your concerns. “Of course it’s alright, this is your night! Go out and have fun. Just make sure that you come home safe.”

With the final hoots and hollers from your father, and the final goodbyes from your mother, you headed out into the streets of Dublith, eager to meet up with your close friends and get this evening of celebration started.

The nightlife of Dublith was certainly one of your favorite things about living in the city, and even if it paled slightly in comparison to Central’s, it was still a unique crowd that you never ceased to find enjoyment out of.

Most of the folks that you tended to hang out with were acquaintances that you had made within many of the bars situated in Dublith. Finding someone to drink with, or party with, or even just sit and relax with, was never an issue that you had to worry about. If you frequented one bar, then you practically knew everyone else that fancied themselves a _connoisseur_ of the local entertainment.

However, out of all the pubs that you had visited thus far, your favorite probably had to be this small little place located in the inner city know as the Devil’s Nest. A lot of people gave it a bad rap since it was situated in the “bad side” of Dublith, but you had yet to be involved in a sketchy incident there. Anyone that you had met while spending time there had been very amicable, and they _certainly_ knew how to have a good time.

It came as a bit of a surprise when you rounded the corner and saw that there was a decently sized line outside waiting to get in. Maybe they had finally decided to advertise? You gave a low chuckle, and took your spot at the end of the line.

An irritated huff escaped you when you could see no trace of your friend, even after she had promised that she would be waiting outside for you. Slight panic started to rise within you when you noticed that almost every single person that had tried to get in had been denied, and you were beginning to suspect that if she didn’t come to rescue you soon, your night would be cut short.

The bouncer gave a loud snort before he chucked a large spitball into some corner of the street, his expression blank as he glared down at you. “What do you think you’re doin’ here, kid?”

“Uh… well, you see, I’m supposed to be meeting someone here.” you stutter, your cheeks tinted red from embarrassment at how pathetic you sounded.

“Sure, sure, that’s what they all say. Go on, beat it,” he grumbled, and lightly pushed you out of the que.

“H-hey! I’m not lying!” you exclaimed, and stomped your foot on the cobblestone road to assert your dominance… well, a _semblance_ of dominance.

“Listen kid, I don’t wanna hafta use force on ya, but if you’re gonna make this difficult, then you’re really givin’ me no other choice--”

“Ulchi who are you mouthing off to now?” someone snarks from behind the hulking man.

“Back off, Martel,” he snaps, teeth bared. “It’s my job to pick and choose who gets in here, not yours.”

“That’s a friend of mine you idiot,” the much smaller woman snarls, as she shoves past Ulchi. “Treat them with a little more respect next time, will ya?” her stare is venomous as she gives a solid punch to his gut to further elaborate on her point, even if the man hardly flinches at the assault.

Ulchi raises his hands in defeat, stepping aside to allow the both of you entrance into the bar. “My bad,” he grumbled. “Maybe next time you should let us know ahead of time that someone is gonna be stoppin’ by.”

Martel ignores his complains, and you feel her slender arms wrap around your shoulders as she leads you to the bar. “Sorry about that,” she apologizes. “He’s usually much nicer, especially if you’re cute,” she gives you a wink and you blush, unaccustomed to such compliments. “But we’ve been kind of on edge lately, so we’ve been more selective on who we let in here.”

She snaps her fingers in an attempt to get the barkeeps attention, and when that doesn’t work, she whistles him over.

“What’s the big idea, Martel? Can’t you see I’m workin’?” he narrows his eyes at her, offended that she had resorted to such a cheap tactic to bring him over to the both of you.

“Quit your barkin’ Dolcetto, I brought a friend over. Make us a drink, will ya.”

“You know the layout of the bar and where all the drinks are kept. Why don’t you get it yourself?” he replied, obviously annoyed at Martel’s demanding attitude.

She simply shrugs, content with this suggestion, and extends her arm so that it may reach one of the higher shelves. Her muscles easily bend and flex to compensate for the drastic change in her bone structure, and a round of quiet laughter tumbles from you as she snatches the bottle of vodka with serpent-like reflexes.

You had never admitted this aspect of Martel to anyone else, not even your parents. You had found out that she was a human-chimera herself after she had fought off a couple of creeps, easily beating them all to the pulp with her impressive strength. The mysterious nature of how she developed is actually what inspired you to become a scientist, but you wanted to uncover these secrets with your own methods. You would never want to experiment on your friend.

“Forgive him too,” she says, as she plucks two shot glasses off the shelves as well. “Both he and Ulchi take their jobs _way_ too seriously.”

“Hey, I keep this place safe!” Dolcetto retorts, before he scampers off to fill the order of his most recent customer.

Martel snorts and pours the both of you a shot. “If keeping this place safe means that he supplies all the idiots that come through here with enough alcohol to get them completely wasted, then, yeah, he’s doing a fine old job.”

You down your drink in one go, coughing slightly at the strong taste. “Hey Martel, what did you mean that you needed to be more careful with who you let in here?” you question, greedily accepting the next shot she offers you.

“Apparently the military police have been sniffing around here more than we would like, so the boss ordered us to only allow a few people in every night so that we wouldn’t get shut down.” she explains, acting as your personal bartender as you toss back more and more shots.

You feel the alcohol quickly take effect, your mouth going dry and head starting to swim. “Boss?” you slurr. “Who’s your boss? This is the first that I’ve heard of him.”

“Really?” she sounds amazed. “I’m a bit in awe that you’ve never seen him before, since he _loves_ being the center of attention.”

You shrug, and steal the bottle from her slack grip so that you could take sips straight from the source. “Guess I was just havin’ too much fun with you whenever I was here,” you giggle, and bop her on the nose. “I am curious though. Where is he?”

She takes a firm hold of your arm and helps you off of your seat, accompanying you farther back into the bar. It was becoming a bit difficult for you to walk, and you imagined that Martel was becoming rather irritated at all of your stumbling and grumbling about wanting to sit down. You feel her push against the small of your back, and you suddenly find yourself in a plush leather couch.

“Oh? Now what did you bring me this time, Martel?”

A chill travels down your spine at the sound of that voice, and you jump when you realize that someone is sitting right beside you. You can tell that it’s a man, and you have to suppress yourself from laughing out loud when you observe that he is wearing sunglasses. Who the heck wears sunglasses in a dark bar?

“This is (Y/N). They were curious about you after I mentioned you in conversation, so I brought em over here to meet you.”

You couldn’t tell where Martel had wandered off to, but since you could hear her voice, you could only assume that she was still close by, which set your mind at some ease.

“Oh really now?” you hear the couch squeak as he scoots closer to you, a pointed grin on his face as he pushes his circle lenses down the bridge of his nose. “So your name’s (Y/N), huh? You a friend of Martel’s?”

Your breath hitches in your throat when you notice his eyes, and you’re mesmerized by their unusual color. They’re a startling violet, contrasting greatly against his pale skin, and seemingly oozed power and control. You hear him chuckle and you feel your face heat up, your own eyes widening slightly as he pockets his glasses into his coat.

“I know I’m handsome, sweetheart, but I don’t like to be kept waiting for too long after I’ve asked a question.”

Your head lowers in submission, flustered that you had so easily forgotten what you had been asked. “U-uh, yeah. I’ve known her for awhile.”

“Oh? And she tells me that we’ve never met before. I find that a little odd, don’t you agree?” he drapes a strong arm across your smaller frame, pulling you closer to him.

“I-I guess.” you mumble, your tongue darting out to lick your lips. Why did you always have to get so thirsty whenever you were nervous?

You noticed that that had attracted his attention and he brings himself even nearer to your face, either out of teasing or out of curiosity.

“You guess? Well, either ya know or ya don’t. This isn’t difficult stuff, kid.”

“Y-yeah, it’s weird I’ve never seen you. She tells me that you’re loud.” you peer over at the bottle of vodka resting on the table and grab a hold of it, taking a sip to calm your nerves.

He clicked his tongue in displeasure, his head turned to the side so he could speak to Martel. “You said I was loud? What, have you been spyin’ on me while I was in the backroom?”

“That would imply that you’ve even had sex, Greed.” she hissed back, a group of patrons whooping and hollering at the comeback.

“Yikes,” you muttered, as you took a another sip of your drink.

“If you just came over here to talk shit, then you can take your little friend and go. I’m in no mood to play games tonight,” he growled back.

“Relax, Greed. I just wanna help (Y/N) have a good time, that’s all. We’re celebrating tonight.” Martel mused, and you felt her pat the top of your head.

Greed turned to face you again, a curious expression on his face. “What are ya out celebrating tonight, doll?”

You bounced excitedly in your seat, eyes alight with happiness as you whispered, “I became a certified state alchemist today.”

“A state alchemist, huh?” he looked intrigued and brought you closer, his warm breath fanning your face. “What kind of alchemist are ya?”

“A bio-alchemist, but I uh… specialize in human-chimera transmutations,” you responded, and took another swig of your vodka.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly fascinated. “Chimera’s? It’s funny that you say that, because all of my _possessions_ are human-chimera’s.”

Skeptical laughter enveloped the space between the two of you. “Come on,” you whined, grin upturned into a twisted smile. “Now you’re just teasing me.”

He sneered, and placed his hand on your thigh, slowly groping you before his deft fingers wrapped around the neck of the bottle and he snatched it away from you. An exasperated “hey!” fell on deaf ears as he chugged what remained of the alcohol, thumb coming up to swipe a rogue droplet that had evaded his avaricious appetite.

“If I were teasing you, I’d _probably_ do a little something like this,” he drawled, his grip on your waist tightening as he pushed you forward. Your startled gasp was easily swallowed by his eager mouth, and your hands trembled slightly as you gripped tightly onto his shirt when his tongue shoved past your parted lips.

The kiss was intoxicating. He tasted of whiskey and cigarette smoke, but those were easily overpowered by this flavor of unhindered, raw _power_. Your fingers laced themselves in his short hair in an attempt to steady yourself, and you crawled into his lap, a shudder going through your body as he bit down on your lower lip.

You suddenly jolt forward when you feel his strong hands on your backside, a quiet moan slipping from you when he slaps your behind. You don’t know if it’s from the alcohol, or from the thrill of it all, but you slowly begin to grind into him, and the low chuckle that rumbled through his chest is a clear indication that he’s enjoying this turn of events.

He thrusts you forward, pressing the two of you even closer, a quiet whimper reaching his ears as he pulls away from you so he can latch himself onto your neck. You flinch as his sharp teeth sink into your soft flesh, but he doesn’t pierce the skin, and a shaky exhales rushes out of your nostrils when he drags his cold tongue across the abrasion, soothing the newborn welt.

You’re helpless under his touch as he continues his work, and you’re more than certain that your throat and clavicle are coated in bruises. A particularly harsh bite causes you to moan loudly, and his hands are in your hair, a forceful tug keeping your head in the position that _he_ wants to be in.

Goose-pimples erupt on your stomach when he palms you under your top, and you keen into his caresses, head going to rest on his shoulder as you’re reduced to writhing mess in his lap.

“God…”  you gasped, and your mind swam with ecstasy when he started to kiss along your jawline.

He snickered darkly, and hooked his finger under your chin so that you could face him. “Actually the name’s Greed, but if you wanted to keep calling me that, I don’t think I would have any objections.”

Low laughter rumbled through you in response, and you leaned in to kiss him again, hungry for more. That is, until your eyes caught sight of the time on your wristwatch. “What?” you exclaimed, and Greed tried to embrace you again when he grew impatient with your stalling. You perked up to try and get more light, and paid no attention to the man currently marking your chest with a trail of love bites.

“Damn, it’s really that late already,” you grumbled.

“Hey, what’s the big idea? I’m giving you the whole package here, lovin’ that people could only _dream_ of havin’, and you’re over here ignoring me!” Greed whined.

You glanced back down at him, and you felt your cheeks heat up again. “Uh… well, I told my parents that I would be home by a certain time, so I really need to get going. If I don’t, then my mom is going to start to worry, and you do _not_ want to be on the receiving end of one of her lectures.”

“What? Exactly how old are you?”

You shoved out of his grip, a pout on your face. “Old enough… I’m an adult!” you defended. “It’s my parents who worry.”

You heard him sigh, and stumbled back slightly when he stood up and placed a gentle grip on your waist. “I’ll walk you home then.”

“Oh, you really don’t have to do that…”

“Come on, you’re not embarrassed about heading out with me are you? I’d find that a little surprising considering how well _acquainted_ we became on the couch.” he had that stupid grin on his face again, and you could only remain silent in your own bashfulness as he lead you towards the exit.

“Boss,” a large burly man called out to Greed. “Where are you going at this time of night? You know that the military police like combing around the area when it gets darker.”

Greed rolled his eyes, and patted the guy’s face. “Relax, Roa. I’m just escorting the lovely (Y/N) back home. They’re under a curfew,” he teased, and ruffled your hair when you punched his bicep.

“Are you sure that it’s safe?” Roa pressed, concerned creases expressing his worry.

“We’ll be fine. If worse comes to worse, I can take care of it. Besides, we’ll have Bido keepin’ an eye on the two of us.” Greed said, as he tried to alleviate his friend’s apprehension.

“Bido’s gonna be trailing the two of you?”

Greed nodded his head. “Yeah, can you find him and tell him what I just said, by the way?”

Roa rumbled something about Greed being a pain in his ass, before he disappeared into the crowd to find this Bido that he was tasked to talk to.  

With all of the housekeeping taken care of, the two of you walked out into the streets of Dublith, the cold air welcoming the both of you as you began the trek back to your house. A ferocious chill traveled straight to the marrow of your bones, and you blushed when Greed placed his coat around your smaller frame, a quiet thank you expressing your gratitude.

The fur tickled your nose, and your cheeks heated up again as his scent overwhelmed you. You snuck a peek at him, and your heart skipped a beat. The way he looked in the moonlight… it was a sight to behold; the way his eyes glittered in the soft white light, the way the shadows danced over his impressive physique, the way his expression managed to look so peaceful and yet so commanding at the same time.

“Didn’t your mom ever tell you that it’s impolite to stare, kid?” he chastised, a playful smirk on his face.

You immediately turned away, mortified that he had caught you. “Sorry,” you mumbled.

He gave you a light-hearted shove in return. “You know, I honestly didn’t believe you when you told me that you were an alchemist.”

“And why’s that?” you snapped back.

“What kind of alchemist is friend’s with a human-chimera, and hangs out at the dingiest bar in Dublith?” he replied, and still sounded skeptical himself.

You huffed and pointed to yourself with your index finger. “ _This_ alchemist.” you retorted, your tone the most confident that it had been all night.

Greed laughed, and placed a hand on your shoulder to pull you closer. “Is Martel what made you want to become an alchemist?”

“You’re more perceptive than I initially thought,” you said, a sly grin forming on your lips when he glared down at you. “Which reminds me, you said that all of your employees were human-chimera’s too,” Images of the men that you had met at the bar flashed through your mind, and you wondered if you could strike a deal with the patron of The Devil’s Nest. “Would you be willing to help me with my research?”

“Is a prospective member of the state military trying to bargain with me, a scummy mob boss?” Greed cooed. “Now _that’s_ something I did not see coming.”

“Are you gonna help me or not?” you repeated, not really caring about Greed’s shady past as long as he could be of some use.

“I guess I could, but you’re going to have to give me something in return, an equivalent exchange. Seems only fair.” he whispered into your ear, a delighted grin erupting on his visage when he saw you visibly tremble.

You supposed that made sense, after all, he was sticking his neck out to assist you with your research. You could do him a little favor in return, where was the harm in that?

“What do you want me to do?”

“Well you see,” he unexpectedly shoved you onto a nearby wall, his large frame pinning you there as he stared you down with a predatory gaze. “I’m Greed, and I want everything that the world can give me: money, sex, women, status, and glory. The one thing that is out of my reach, however, is immortality. That’s where you come in, sweetheart.”

Your breath fogged up between the two of you as it came out in ragged gasps, your heartbeat pounding in your chest. “W-what?” you croaked out, and swallowed a large lump in your throat, panic beginning to take its hold on you.

“Come on, you’re an alchemist, right? You should know a thing or do about immortality.”

“You can’t possibly mean a philosopher’s stone… those only exist in legends!” you hiss, irritated that he had scared the living hell out of you to talk about such a ridiculous concept.

He scoffed, and splayed his hands over his chest. “I’m not talking about some dusty old stone, I’m already plenty covered in that department.”

Before you could ask what he was babbling about, the tips of his fingers turned the color of charcoal and grew razor sharp claws, which he used to pry himself open.

A horrified cry erupted from you as he did this, paralyzed from fear when your eyes landed on a bright red stone beating like a heart, veins sprouting around its perimeter and transporting what you could only assume was blood.

“W-what is that?” you whispered.

“A philosopher’s stone. Weren’t you paying attention to anything I just said?” Greed removed the invading ligaments away, and the wound quickly sewed itself shut in a flash of red lighting.

This couldn’t be real, you had to be dreaming all of this. Perhaps you had passed out on the couch and this was all just a figment of your imagination. “What are you?” you managed to croak out.

“I’m a homunculus,” he said, and brought up his left hand to show off a red tattoo inked into his skin.

You felt yourself shake with nervous laughter. This _definitely_ had to be a dream. “That’s impossible, there’s no such thing.”

“Nothing is impossible, doll. I think the philosopher’s stone in my core proved just as much.” he replied.

You gave your thigh a harsh slap, a sorry attempt at trying to rouse yourself awake. “This can’t be real... ”

“Afraid it is,” Greed reached over and pinched your cheek, an offended gasp and harsh slap to his prodding hand only confirming his statement.

Your mind was racing to try and rationalize what had just occurred. One thing was certain at least, and that was that he trusted you with this information. You sincerely doubted that he would have revealed such a monstrous secret if he did not think that you would keep it. Even if you were still a bit apprehensive about all this, you took some comfort in this fact, and decided that it would be best to just roll with it.

“Let’s say that I believe you’re a homunculus, alright? Then why would someone like you need to gain immortality? Aren’t you already immortal?” you gave him a slight push, a signal for him to back off and give you some space.

He easily complied and pushed himself off the wall, stepping aside so the two of you could begin your walk once again. “Even though I am built a lot sturdier than most, I can still die if I am killed enough times. My stone can run out of mojo, it isn’t some limitless supply of energy.”

You nodded in understanding. “Alright, but a philosopher’s stone is really the only thing that I’ve heard of that could grant immortality.” you confessed.

“I guess that means you’re just gonna have to start searching for other ways then, huh?” he countered, and grimaced when the both of you rounded a corner and he spotted a house at the end of the block.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I was assigned an almost impossible task,” you responded, a shy smile back on your visibly worn features.

The remainder of the stroll passed by in silence, and when you were at the base of the steps that lead to your home, you slid off Greed’s jacket and handed it back to him. “Thank you for walking me here, I really appreciate it.”

He gave you a big grin before he cupped your face and placed a kiss on your lips. This one was much different from the first that you had shared at the bar. It was sweeter, a lot gentler, and you felt butterflies flutter in your stomach. You would have no objection to staying this way for the rest of the evening, the two of you basked in the silver moonlight, and a twinge of sadness shot through you when he pulled away.

“I look forward to working with you, (Y/N),” he husked, and brushed away a stray lock of your hair.

You gave him one last peck before you began to ascend the stairs. “You better not have lied when you said that you’d help me,” you called from the top.

“I never lie, doll-face.” he shouted back. “Now off ya go, get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Greed,” with one final wave you walked into your family home, a mixture of emotions travelling through you as you made your way into your bedroom.

When you spotted your bed you practically leapt into its waiting embrace, your thoughts jumbled as you tried to make sense out of everything that had transpired. Not only were you going to be receiving some first-hand data on human-chimera’s, but you had also met and… made out with a homunculus. Dublith’s nightlife was _definitely_ much more exciting than Central’s.

Another smile found its way to your lips as you snuggled into your pillows, and when you felt the heavy blanket of sleep wrap around your exhausted body, you were more than certain that you would be dreaming of the man with the electrifying purple eyes.


End file.
